Point of View
by LovelessxHarlequin
Summary: In the Christian tradition God warned Noah, a drunk, about the flood. What was the real reason behind the events of Meteor and Geostigma? Will a different drunk listen to the words of a would-be-god? SephTi, no smut, a different point of view, bad summary, after AC. Just read it.


Okay, I know I have at least three open fics that I'm trying to write but this just came to me one day. And I couldn't get it out of my head until I wrote it down. It then proceeded to sit in a notebook for the past five months until I typed it up. I am working on the next chapter of Shinra Breeding Program, Taming the Beast is stalled halfway through the next chapter, and Prayer of Vengeance is ... Well it's not going well at all considering that it's possibly been a year since I've look at that fic. Anywho, there is no smut in this and there is actually another chapter that I doubt I'll finish or publish. So for now consider this a one-shot. I'm hopeless addicted to Sephiroth and Tifa interaction be they smutty or not. This one contains no smut but the rating is for some alcohol abuse, mild violence, and torture (a little bit of language here and there). Overall it might not paint a pretty picture for some younger readers.

Uuumm. Oh, I don't anything but I really wish Square would have put in a Tifa and Reno/Sephiroth/Vincent love story instead of Cloud :( Oh well, read and enjoy. I also don't have a beta and refuse to proofread.

* * *

"So I'm your prisoner," I asked, finally opening my eyes. Truthfully, I had been awake for what felt like hours but I had chosen to keep my mouth shut and my eyes closed. I didn't have anything to say then anyways. Plus when a deranged sociopath who has somehow risen from the dead, found you, beat the snot out of you, and tied you to a chair in a must old room – I lost my train of thought there. Oh well. It had been months since I watched Cloud kill Sephiroth, for what I thought was, the last time. Apparently the psycho didn't have enough sense to stay dead and of course he had to come after me. If I had the energy I'd throw a pity party for myself; my tears had dried up months ago. Since the "defeat" of the remnants I've pretty much checked out on life. Everyone split up again. Barrett took the kids, Cloud took off, Yuffie is being a princess, Cid is in Rockettown, and Vincent is being Vincent. Me, I closed down the bar in Edge but didn't move. I have no dreams, angels, or demons to chase. Most of my time was spent trying to drink up the stores of alcohol left from the bar. I guess I have been having a pity party and that was probably how I ended up in this mess.

"Yes," answered the cold, almost mechanical, voice of the man who I had blamed for all my tragedy. Sephiroth was doing nothing but sitting in a chair across the rough wooden table from me. I wanted to be furious, I wanted to fight, but I couldn't bring myself to care enough. As much as I hated everything about him, I had to admit he did look like a fallen god, especially since he was still sporting the black eye and bloody lip I had given him. I might be a drunk but I still know how to fight. I guess I was never meant to be the damsel in distress. No wonder Cloud was comfortable leaving me to rot. Whatever

"Cloud isn't coming," I mumbled testing the shackles that held me. I ached all over, a broken body to match a broken soul. Sephiroth said nothing. I continued, "He didn't come in Nibelheim, he didn't come when I was dying in Kalm, he didn't come when I was in the slums, and he won't come now." Partial truth. He had been there in Nibelheim and he had showed in my bar in the slums; but, both times he had not come for me. Sephiroth was a fool if he thought he would hurt Cloud through me.

"You are sure," that voice asked again sounding so assured of itself.

"Can you just make this quick this time. You botched the whole thing in that reactor." My voice sounded tired because that's what I was. I wanted that eternal sleep that eluded my captor. He was silent again, weighing his options.

"Where is he?"

"Don't know, last time I saw him he was chopping you up." Rage boiled over the edge. My captor was no longer the poster boy of stoicism. Table legs scrapped across the floor as the edge collided with my gut. Fresh pain blossomed in my abdomen and I coughed up blood. He wasn't going to kill me quickly. Thanks Cloud, not only do you walk out the door but you're also going to be the cause of my long and painful death. Sephiroth was standing, leaning on the table. Did he realize that it was still moving? My chair began to tip backwards. I remember a sharp pain in my skull accompanied by the meaty smack of my head hitting the floor then darkness.

xXxXxXxXx

"Where is he," Sephiroth's voice intoned. My ears were ringing and it felt like a sandbag was attached to my neck instead of my head. The room stank of human waste. Apparently, in the time that I was out my bowel and bladder had taken it upon themselves to vacate. I must have been a sight to behold. I should have been frightened or angry. I wasn't. That alone should have bothered me, moved me to feel some emotion. It didn't. I was just tired, beaten, bloody, and bruised.

XxXxXxXx

"How about a beer," I mumbled through the pain of a cracked jaw. Shina only knows how long I've been sitting in this chair. I pass out, wake up to the same question, am beaten, and the process begins again. He hits more violently when I have him a "smart-ass" response. I'm not trying to be that way. I'm just sick of hearing/thinking about Cloud. At this rate I'll die from infection long before he kills me. Torture and being held hostage in the movies is glamorous compared to the reality of it. No wonder Reno drinks himself to sleep everyday, he's been on both sides of the nightmare. Water? Cold, painful, and not at all refreshing. He cast a water spell on me, half drowning me in the process. How nice. My broken ribs stab at my lungs and other soft organs as I cough.

xXxXxXxX

"It has been ten days, where is Cloud Strife?" I could only laugh, weak little outbursts that caused me more pain.

"You want him to come find us so that you can kill me in front of him, don't you?" I questioned. "You already killed the only person he cared about. He was her knight in shining armor, not mine. He isn't going to come looking for me Sephiroth. Chances are, he doesn't even know that I'm gone. Now, can I have a drink and a cure materia?" He didn't say a word to me but his expression changed. It wasn't softer, just different. From the pockets of his pants he produced a key and unlocked my shackles. No need to worry, he had beaten to a pulp. I didn't believe that I could stand up. "Aren't you going to lead the way?" I asked mockingly. I had no idea where I was and was pretty sure he would cut me up with his sword as soon as I turned my back. I did not want a matching scar along my spine.

"You'll know the way," was all he said watching my try to stand up, only to fall down. My knees, which were previously uninjured, banged on the floor. If only I could drink myself out of this nightmare. Inch by inch I pulled myself closer to the door. When it finally opened I couldn't believe my swollen eyes. I was in my basement surrounded by the eighty-some cases of booze I had left.

"Kill me," I mumbled. Well, proves no one bothered to see if I was alive for ten days. Yuffie had been the last to call me but that was over a month ago? Two? Maybe four? I had lost track of time. How did I have an entire room in my basement that I could not recognize? One, I did know that I had one, I had just never been inside. The door was blocked with heavy shelving that I had decided to use. By the time I had drank all the alcohol off the shelves, I didn't care what was in the room. Also, when you have the stuffing beat out of you for ten days you tend to miss the finer points of a rooms décor, particularly when you are being tortured in it.

With shaking hands I pulled a bottle from a box, but I was too weak to do much else besides drop it on the floor. Behind me I knew Sephiroth was watching. Had had no right to judge me. For years, he wanted to take everything from Cloud and rule over humanity. Had had taken everything from me instead. I had no friends, no family, no hometown, nothing. Other than my life, which he had tried to take once, my misery began the day he strode to Nibelheim.

"Dammit Zangan," I couldn't hate my old master. He had saved me; he had also left me, as was his way. My hands stung as alcohol seeped into the cuts. Shattered glass tried to embed itself in my skin as I crawled away. Maybe I should find a potion or something first. Before I could continue my slow crawl to the stairs, I was yanked from the floor and roughly slung over the shoulder of my captor. Broken ribs shifted; all I could manage was a small groan of pain, not a scream. Sephiroth carried me to my bathroom where he tossed me in the tub and turned the shower on. I couldn't tell if the water was hot or cold. All I knew as that it stung in some places and blinded me a little. At least it was better than the water spells he had been using, I still wanted a drink but I supposed that it could wait. Who knows how long I sat there, unmoving. Eventually I did look up, only to see Sephiroth standing there, a green potion in his hand. Sick bastard. He'd brought me to death's door, only to drag me back. Couldn't he see I just wanted to forget everything and sleep.

Without speaking he knelt before me and forced my chin up, dumping the content of the potion down my throat. I choked, sputtered but managed to painfully swallow it. Potions and cures were great but no one ever tells you that they hurt like hell. You feel the broken or dislocated body parts pull and snap back together. They also itch as the skin scabs over and heals. At least Sephiroth hadn't given me an X-potion, that would have healed skin over the pieces of glass in my skin. Yuffie had done that to me before. A monster had smashed me into a tree and wood splinters had stuck in my leg. I spent hours that night cutting my leg open and pulling them all out. Back then I was too worried about hiding my pain and being strong for others to ask for help. I had walked for hours with those wooden pins embedded in my flesh.

Sephiroth had left the bathroom, giving me some privacy. He was a strange man. Maybe, it had finally sunk in that I had no idea where Cloud was, probably not. I was sore by last step was to wash the matted blood from my hair but both my shampoo and conditioner bottles were empty. My hair and grown long again but I hadn't showered in at least ten days.

"Why me," I bellowed, realizing that my captor had also used my hair supplies. That was it, I wanted my drink now. I stormed out of the shower, snatching my robe off the door. Joints and muscles protested the harsh movements but I ignored them. I was vaguely aware of Sephiroth watching me with mild disinterest but I didn't care. Scotch was the first thing that caught my eye. At least he hadn't decided to drink my booze.

I plopped down at the kitchen table and took a deep drink. It burned and was more refreshing than the shower. A few more drink and I began to calm down. Those damn teal eyes continued to watch me.

"So, I'm still your prisoner?" I asked continuing to drink . No answer. "Can you at least replace my shampoo and conditioner?"

"We're leaving tomorrow." I guess I was still his prisoner, but where were we going. I guess he expected me to lead him to where Cloud might be.

"You're about a year too late for that trip," I mumbled around my bottle. "Been there, done that. I asked my suppliers to look for him, Cid and I circled the globe a dozen times, I even contacted all his delivery clients. He's not going to be found until he wants to be. Heck, he might even be dead already." I laughed. It was a disturbingly funny thought. Here Sephiroth refused to become part of the Lifestream because of his hatred for Cloud and Cloud might be dead. Can't ruin the life of a deadman.

"He's alive."

"Jenova cells tell you that," I asked, deciding that not only was I buzzed but I was also crazy for chatting up my worst enemy like he was an old friend. "What happened to the Reunion protocol?"

"Jenova'a will is dead, it exists no longer," he said to me.

"So you aren't hell bent on destroying the Planet again?"

"Only Cloud."

"And you need me to do this?"

"I want him to lose everything." All I could do was sigh and get another bottle from the top of my fridge. So I had to help him find Cloud so that he could make Cloud watch me die. There was no denying that he was a sick man, Hojo would have been proud.

"So what is to stop me from leading you hopelessly across the globe," I questioned retrieving tweezers to pull the glass bits from my hands. Anyone could have told from my shaking handsd that I was a drunk and not a surgeon. I'd probably make a bigger mess of myself before I finished. Why wasn't I scared or angry? I didn't know. I shoul dhave been panicked or attacking him, why wasn't I? Victims had a fight or flight response, victims and predators. I was too jaded to be either. Sephiroth could have announced he was going to try to end the world again and I doubed I would have left my kitchen except to go to the bathroom or get another drink. Was I hopeless?

"Tifa is dead and we have killed her," I laughed somberly. Maybe it was time to have that pity party, I had been putting it off for sometime. He was still watching; it was a little irritating. "We're not going anywhere tody, might as well have a drink," I said tipping the bottle in his direction. Boy, was I surprised when one of those big hands took my bottle and brought it to hip lips. I was half expecting him to walk away and leave me to my misery. Everyone has things they want to leave at the bottom of a bottle and we can all succeed for a little but the bitch always clims back out to bit you in the ass. Eons of life had indeed make Fate a cruel and twisted creature if this was what she had planned for me, drinking with my worst enemy. I guess enemies are the only drinking buddies you have left when your friends leave you.

"So why Cloud? Of all the people who screwed you up, why is Cloud the one you have to get?" I asked taking the bottle back. It was almost empty, apparently the psycho had really needed a drink.

"Everyone else has paid the price," he answered leaning back. Was he right? Lucrecia and Cast had died years ago, Hojo was dead, old man Shinra was gone, the Shinra company was in shambles and it would take decades to rebuild, his comrades who had led him to his psychotic break were all dead – I guess he had a point. Even Jenova's well was gone, or so he claimed, and the people of the world agreed to leave Mako, the Lifestream, Ancients, and calamitous alien life forms alone. The only thing left was to kill Cloud or make him suffer by killing me. "You've never thought of it that way have you?" Sephiroth asked me, a light pink tinge decorating his pale face. Apparently drinking was not something he excelled at; but, he had giving me something to think about. No, he had been under Jenova's control, he had wanted to destroy the Planet. He had said as much in his rants about absorbing the Lifestream and becoming a god.

"Side effects of the Calamity's control," I said dismissively.

"Then why did Meteor descend on Midgar, why was Kalm spared?"

"Because Holy and the Lifestream saved us."

"It was Jenova and my evil will that retarded the effects of Holy. Even though I died at Northern Crater our will lived on as you saw with the blight of Geostigma." He was twisting the situation, it couldn't have happened like that. Nanaki had explained why it had taken Holy so long to work and what Geostigma was, but Sephiroth was perverting that. He ws trying to make himself the hero. I needed another drink.

"Yes, initially I succumbed to the madness and temptation of Jenova but I had a lot of time to think over the seven years I was strapped in the Lifestream. Jenova became a tool I could use to exact my revenge. I danced her dance until I got what I wanted. The remnants were her last efforts but because they were pars of me, I was able to use them as well. I was not killed, he killed what remained of Jenova."

"And you want me to believe that you planned all of this out?" I laughed and choked on my scotch. Liquor burned my nostrils. "And what about all the innocent people who died?"

"Seven years is a long time when you're encased in make." He shrugged and met my eyes with a level gaze. "Surely you know about collateral damage terrorist." He had me there, vengeance came with a large price tag.

"So why not tell us that to begin with? Why wait until now, Shinra was our enemy as much as you were," I demanded, still refusing to believe him.

"Jenova would have tried to take over control of my body as she did in Nibelheim and because no one asked." He couldn't be serous, could he? As if we had the chance to call a timeout and ask 'Hey Sephiroth why are you so hell bent on global destruction?'

"Seems pretty extreme, why not just go kill them, why go through the whole Meteor crisis?"

"Did Avalance know your whole reason for joining them was to hurt Shinra for all the pain they caused you? Did they know that your desire to save the Planet all sprang from hatred of the entity who had taken everything from you?" He was hitting hard and, of course, the answer was no. Barrett didn't know about Nibelheim until cloud came along, Jesse, Biggs, and Wedge never got the chance. I sighed. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but Sephiroth was starting to make more sense. I had only lost my former life, he had never had the chance to have one. He had been bred to be a monster and had grown up under Hojo's eye. Were we so different? Two people fueled by hate.

"So I should so whatever it takes to make you pay for what you did to me," I stated. "Even if that means destroying the world? You took my life from me: my friends, family, hometown, Cloud. You almost killed me, I should be exacting my revenge." It sounded simple, just like when we were blowing up reactors: set the bomb, get out, and watch it blow. Innocent people died, children were robbed of parents and turned to the cruel streets of the slums. There was no telling how many orphans ended up in the hands of slum lords. I guess it was that subconscious guilt that made us take in Denzel, though he had been orphaned by Meteor. If we could save one it would make up for all our sins. A foolish thought.

"If that is your wish, but I doubt you will," he said taking another drink. "You're no the same angry and determined teenager you were back then." He had a point. It was a shame, I was only in my late twenties and I was dead inside. I didn't have an endless smile or desire to save the world, I wasn't even angry at the people who had made me this way. I just didn't care, I was tired, I wanted it to be over.

"What direction are we heading first," I asked. I didn't have much of a choice, so I was going with him. The faster we found Cloud the sooner this would all end. "I guess you could check the old church in the ruins."

* * *

I like the loving, motherly Tifa, but I also like to make her more of a real character. If Cloud gets to evolve from the man with the screwed up past to the emo adult the so does Tifa. More importantly I believe Sephiroth needs a chance to tell his side of the story. Remember all the main NPCs who died throughout the game series played some pretty big roles in just screwing his life up. And Cloud was the one to stop him the first time, that would piss me off. Maybe if Cloud had let him rage and stomp around with Jenova's head and torso for a little while he would have tired himself out. Maybe he just would have killed all of Shinra... ... Nah, he was the Planet's greatest war monger (minus pres. Shinra).

Let me know what you think. I'm eager to hear you thoughts.

~Loveless


End file.
